Win7 support:

In message ,
Robert in CA writes:
no I don't own a voltmeter,.. I have a spare
2025 battery.
[]
I think the computer cell (originally, a battery was two or more cells,
but that distinction seems to have been lost years ago) is likely to be
a CR2032, not a 2025. The latter is thinner, but the same voltage (one
cell - somewhat over 3V when new), so if you can make it fit (e. g. with
a coin), it'll work - just not for as long as it has less capacity.

For anyone brought up on the confusing and apparently random names for
batteries - PP9, PP3, U2, HP14, baby, mignon, D, C, AA, AAA (yes, there
is F - though I've often wondered what happened to B and A!) - the CR
series are logically named: the 2032 (by far the commonest) is 20mm
diameter, 3.2mm thick; the others in the series are the 2025 and the
2016, and you can guess what their dimensions are. (I'm not sure about
the CR part stands for - maybe it means cell, round?)
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

At the age of 7, Julia Elizabeth Wells could sing notes only dogs could hear.

Robert in CA wrote:
On Monday, August 12, 2019 at 2:30:49 PM UTC-7, Robert in CA wrote:
I replaced the battery,.. and how to restore
defaults on the boot sequence:

https://postimg.cc/B8CjbtmD

Nothing has worked up to now so I tried to do
a system resto

https://postimg.cc/Vd6sBDDJ

That doesn't even function. It doesn't seem were
ever going to get the Win7 OS back. I learned my
lesson the hard way, never un-tick Win 7 again.

Robert

I meant I had to restore the defaults.

When you attempt to boot Macrium on the 780,
in the Popup Boot screen F12, don't forget to
look for the "Press any key" prompt near the
bottom of the list-of-options area, so that
the Macrium will boot. The OS disk will boot
instead, if you don't "Press the any key"
within five seconds or so.

Paul

[]
I think the computer cell (originally, a battery was two or more cells,
but that distinction seems to have been lost years ago) is likely to be
a CR2032, not a 2025. The latter is thinner, but the same voltage (one
cell - somewhat over 3V when new), so if you can make it fit (e. g. with
a coin), it'll work - just not for as long as it has less capacity.

For anyone brought up on the confusing and apparently random names for
batteries - PP9, PP3, U2, HP14, baby, mignon, D, C, AA, AAA (yes, there
is F - though I've often wondered what happened to B and A!) - the CR
series are logically named: the 2032 (by far the commonest) is 20mm
diameter, 3.2mm thick; the others in the series are the 2025 and the
2016, and you can guess what their dimensions are. (I'm not sure about
the CR part stands for - maybe it means cell, round?)
--


I just happened to have a 2025 and I used what I had.

Robert

I was shocked to see all those unknown devices
and unchecked boxes myself.

I did reset the date/time it was set to 4 years ago!

Bear in mind this isn't even the original HD that came
with the 780. The original HD had a 750GB HD and I replaced
it with a 2TB Seagate.

https://www.staples.com/DELL-780-Tow...akamai-feo=off

I'm not risking the 8500 for the sake of (1) HD for
the 780. Especially when I have a good spare HD I
can put back in the 780 and end all of this.

There is no way I will ever risk the 8500 for the 780
it's suppose to work the other way around. The
8500 is my primary computer and the 780 is the
backup.

If I can create the Macrium Restore on the 8500
then I should be able to do the same with the good
780 HD correct?

Otherwise, I will put back the good HD in the 780 and
store the bad Win7 HD. Maybe I can write Win10 over it?

The Windows activation message returned. I think
that's my best option at this point and certainly have
nothing to loose. They offer

upgrading to Win7
Installing a custom version
and re-installing Windows

However it says I need a Windows installation disc
and my product key

I have the product key but don't have a Win7 installation
disk. All I have is a System repair Windows 7 64 bit dated
10-17-13 and a Win 7 Pro master disc.

https://postimg.cc/3W38RC6Z

https://postimg.cc/K13FV9km

https://postimg.cc/5YgMvTGS

https://postimg.cc/q6qWKR2p


Robert

I checked and the installation disc I have
is for XP.

Robert

I checked and the only installation disc
I have is for XP.

Robert

Robert in CA wrote:
I was shocked to see all those unknown devices
and unchecked boxes myself.

I did reset the date/time it was set to 4 years ago!

Bear in mind this isn't even the original HD that came
with the 780. The original HD had a 750GB HD and I replaced
it with a 2TB Seagate.

https://www.staples.com/DELL-780-Tow...akamai-feo=off

I'm not risking the 8500 for the sake of (1) HD for
the 780. Especially when I have a good spare HD I
can put back in the 780 and end all of this.

There is no way I will ever risk the 8500 for the 780
it's suppose to work the other way around. The
8500 is my primary computer and the 780 is the
backup.

If I can create the Macrium Restore on the 8500
then I should be able to do the same with the good
780 HD correct?

Otherwise, I will put back the good HD in the 780 and
store the bad Win7 HD. Maybe I can write Win10 over it?

The Windows activation message returned. I think
that's my best option at this point and certainly have
nothing to loose. They offer

upgrading to Win7
Installing a custom version
and re-installing Windows

However it says I need a Windows installation disc
and my product key

I have the product key but don't have a Win7 installation
disk. All I have is a System repair Windows 7 64 bit dated
10-17-13 and a Win 7 Pro master disc.

https://postimg.cc/3W38RC6Z

https://postimg.cc/K13FV9km

https://postimg.cc/5YgMvTGS

https://postimg.cc/q6qWKR2p


Robert


The last picture appears to be an installer disc, and
it looks like a UEFI capable disc so can't be for WinXP.
The WinXP installer discs (and WinXP itself) are legacy
and don't know what GPT is.

But I can't tell from the file list like that, what's inside :-)

*******

For the Vista+ installer discs, you tell what they are by using the
WIM file in the Sources folder.

Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]
(C) Copyright 1985-2001 Microsoft Corp.

C:\dir n:
Volume in drive N is GSP1RMCPRXFREO_EN_DVD
Volume Serial Number is F763-DB66

Directory of N:\

04/12/2011 05:38 AM 122 autorun.inf
04/12/2011 05:38 AM DIR boot
04/12/2011 05:38 AM 383,786 bootmgr
04/12/2011 05:38 AM 669,568 bootmgr.efi
04/12/2011 05:38 AM DIR efi
04/12/2011 05:38 AM 106,768 setup.exe
04/12/2011 05:38 AM DIR sources ===
04/12/2011 05:38 AM DIR support
04/12/2011 05:38 AM DIR upgrade

N:\sourcesdir *.wim
Volume in drive N is GSP1RMCPRXFREO_EN_DVD
Volume Serial Number is F763-DB66

Directory of N:\sources

04/12/2011 05:38 AM 168,645,371 boot.wim
04/12/2011 05:38 AM 2,954,401,643 install.wim === Open with modern 7ZIP

Within 7ZIP you see something like this, and you
extract and open the XML file.

4
3
2
1
[1].XML === descriptions of the four OS flavors

WIM
IMAGE INDEX="1"
DISPLAYDESCRIPTIONWindows 7 Home Basic/DISPLAYDESCRIPTION
IMAGE INDEX="2"
DISPLAYDESCRIPTIONWindows 7 Home Premium/DISPLAYDESCRIPTION
IMAGE INDEX="3"
DISPLAYDESCRIPTIONWindows 7 Professional/DISPLAYDESCRIPTION
IMAGE INDEX="4"
DISPLAYDESCRIPTIONWindows 7 Ultimate/DISPLAYDESCRIPTION
/WIM

Each section mentions a version. This disc already has SP1 installed.

VERSION
MAJOR6/MAJOR \
MINOR1/MINOR \___ Win 7
BUILD7601/BUILD /
SPBUILD17514/SPBUILD
SPLEVEL1/SPLEVEL Windows 7 SP1
/VERSION

To make the text readable like that, I copy and paste the text into...

https://web.archive.org/web/20150224...eautifier.org/

The code contained inside the .js on the site, reformats text locally
on your own computer, and the older version of the code "improves" XML.

So that's how you tell what is on a Vista+ ISO or DVD disc. Using the WIM.

That's a refurbisher disc above, and the folder contents for folder "3"
for Windows 7 SP1 Professional, looks identical (sizes) to this one.

GSP1RMCPRXFREO_EN_DVD_X17-58517.ISO

It's possible the refurbisher OS install, is the same as some other
OS images.

*******

If you reinstall the OS, you'll need to do some driver work too.

Paul

Robert in CA wrote:
I checked and the only installation disc
I have is for XP.

Robert

Actually, come to think of it, you might have an
ISO file around already which is close to this size.

GSP1RMCPRXFREO_EN_DVD_X17-58517.ISO 3,320,903,680 bytes

If you could find a virtual ISO mounter, you could
run "setup.exe" off that and do a Repair Install.

We had a discussion about this before, of adding ISO
mounting to a machine that didn't have it (Win7).

https://www.osforensics.com/tools/mo...sk-images.html

https://i.postimg.cc/G2gwNm6V/OSFMOUNTer.gif

So if you had a Win7 ISO, you wouldn't even need to burn
a disc, and could do a Repair Install on the "Not Genuine"
hard drive.

You would bring a copy of the OSFMount software over
to the Win7 problem machine.

You use the OSFMount, open the ISO file with it, and
a new "virtual optical drive" appears on your desktop.
Run setup.exe off it, to do a Repair Install to a
running OS.

Paul

Actually, come to think of it, you might have an
ISO file around already which is close to this size.

GSP1RMCPRXFREO_EN_DVD_X17-58517.ISO 3,320,903,680 bytes

If you could find a virtual ISO mounter, you could
run "setup.exe" off that and do a Repair Install.


Where do I find an ISO file?
I checked my discs looking for an ISO file and
it turns out that I don't have a Rescue CD. I
had labeled it and you saw it completed but the
DVD-R is blank! I haven't done anything with it!

All I have is Kapersky. I went through the first
10 DVD-R disc's all the DVD-R's are blank.

So I do not have a Rescue CD no wonder it didn't
work!

https://postimg.cc/sQtYt94b

https://postimg.cc/SJKZCVtf

This is what's on the USB

https://postimg.cc/BXyCD3FJ

This is the media Creation Tool:

https://postimg.cc/4n2vkGBp

https://postimg.cc/RW5H4ZfJ

So what do I do now? After all that work I still
don't have a Rescue CD or if it will work and i can't
find an ISO.


Robert

Robert in CA wrote:
Actually, come to think of it, you might have an
ISO file around already which is close to this size.

GSP1RMCPRXFREO_EN_DVD_X17-58517.ISO 3,320,903,680 bytes

If you could find a virtual ISO mounter, you could
run "setup.exe" off that and do a Repair Install.


Where do I find an ISO file?
I checked my discs looking for an ISO file and
it turns out that I don't have a Rescue CD. I
had labeled it and you saw it completed but the
DVD-R is blank! I haven't done anything with it!

All I have is Kapersky. I went through the first
10 DVD-R disc's all the DVD-R's are blank.

So I do not have a Rescue CD no wonder it didn't
work!

https://postimg.cc/sQtYt94b

https://postimg.cc/SJKZCVtf

This is what's on the USB

https://postimg.cc/BXyCD3FJ

This is the media Creation Tool:

https://postimg.cc/4n2vkGBp

https://postimg.cc/RW5H4ZfJ

So what do I do now? After all that work I still
don't have a Rescue CD or if it will work and i can't
find an ISO.


Robert

The Kaspersky disc is for selective registry editing.
It's not a complete regedit, as it doesn't have
all the registry sections in it.

https://postimg.cc/sQtYt94b

The Patriot USB flash, did you put your Windows 10
installer in there ? The sources folder would have
a pretty large WIM or ESD in the folder. Either
3,346,473,984 or 4,289,073,755 bytes for the big WIM
of the latest Windows 10.

A Windows 7 installer DVD, doubles as a Windows Rescue CD,
as they both boot and offer a Command Prompt.

You don't have any Retail Windows 7 keys, so you can't
use the official Windows 7 download site directly.
Your 8500 has Dell Windows 7, the 780 has Refurbisher
Windows 7. Heidoc has Retail Windows 7.

https://www.heidoc.net/joomla/techno...-download-tool

The Heidoc tool is a URL generator. The tool should be
run from at least a Windows 7 computer (as the tool uses
..NET). The tool is a portable executable. Version 8.16.

https://www.heidoc.net/php/Windows-ISO-Downloader.exe

This picture on their site shows the interface.

https://www.heidoc.net/joomla/images...downloader.png

Select Windows 7, go through the selection process.

Then, use the "Copy link for 64 bit" on the right.

Paste the URL into your web browser, and download the file
from Microsoft. The URL should be a Microsoft URL.

*******

THere's only one problem. Windows 7 is nearing end of download life.

Heidoc can barely make URLS any more, and you can see why here.

https://www.wincert.net/forum/topic/...-experimental/

When I tested just now, the Heidoc tool had no URLs to offer.

If you didn't download Windows 7 before, it's getting close to
being too late.

Check under the sofa cushions for "Windows.iso" :-)

If you got it in the past, you might have it on
disk somewhere.

The Refurbisher image I have he

Name: GSP1RMCPRXFREO_EN_DVD.ISO
Size: 3320903680 bytes (3167 MB)

SHA256: 8341417C575ADB92CD11A1F77666B6D6CBBCFC568559274072 35983E838CFE83

It seems to be the same checksum as

Win7_Pro_SP1_English_COEM_x64.iso

which I neglected to download (I only got the x32 one).

You might have already downloaded something
like that on the 8500 (as the reinstall discs
would be the same for the two, using a COA key,
and the phone activation method).

It appears someone with branded computers, attempting
to find Win7 media now, it's a bit late in the day.

Paul

I can't remember if I put the Win10 installer on the Patriot
I do remember I removed all the files/folders from the Patriot
before using it. So I went to the folder where I put it and found this:

https://postimg.cc/dD3h0z5J

Can we use this?

Robert

Robert in CA wrote:
I can't remember if I put the Win10 installer on the Patriot
I do remember I removed all the files/folders from the Patriot
before using it. So I went to the folder where I put it and found this:

https://postimg.cc/dD3h0z5J

Can we use this?

Robert

Sure.

You'll likely need to do phone activation.

I don't know if the Refurbisher Key makes this any harder
or not, but on a Dell COA you could do it. It should definitely
work on the 8500. I've not read of any accounts of people
redoing a Refurbisher.

You could bring over this mounter, to the 780.
Bring over a copy of the ISO (in Downloads or the like).
Select that ISO from the File menu in the mounter.
And a virtual DVD drive will appear in File Explorer.
Run Setup.exe off the virtual DVD drive.

https://www.osforensics.com/tools/mo...sk-images.html

Since your 8500 is in good working order, you can burn
a DVD copy of that software, as you see fit. Use Imgburn,
use the upper left hand button (of the six buttons).

If you needed to do a Clean Install, then I would be
getting you to burn a DVD disc right away.

The mount will drop on the first reboot, and subsequent
install boot cycles, the installation process doesn't
need the image after that.

In your BIOS, you can turn off the Win10 drive, if it
isn't off already.

Paul

You said all I needed was an ISO but now
your saying your not sure. As I stated I'm not
going to risk the 8500 in any of this. It's not
worth it.

I'm not exactly following you,.....

Are you saying you want me to put the ISO file
on a DVD-R disc? using Image Burn on the 8500?
or are you saying put the file on the Patriot and put
in downloads on the 780 and then create the file?

Which do you want me to do?

Also, how do I turn off the Win 10 drive,... I've been
doing so much I don't remember know how to
locate it again.

Robert

Robert in CA wrote:
You said all I needed was an ISO but now
your saying your not sure. As I stated I'm not
going to risk the 8500 in any of this. It's not
worth it.

I'm not exactly following you,.....

Are you saying you want me to put the ISO file
on a DVD-R disc? using Image Burn on the 8500?
or are you saying put the file on the Patriot and put
in downloads on the 780 and then create the file?

Which do you want me to do?

Also, how do I turn off the Win 10 drive,... I've been
doing so much I don't remember know how to
locate it again.

Robert



If the ISO file was sitting on your 8500, you transfer it
to the 780 hard drive and its "Not Genuine" C: drive. Your
Downloads folder over there, isn't going anywhere, so
you put the Windows ISO file on the 780.

This might require copying the ISO file onto the Patriot
USB stick and carrying the USB stick over to the 780
so you can copy it onto the 780. You might not have
"File Sharing" set up on your machines (which would
make the job easier).

Once the Windows 7 ISO file is over on the 780, you
grab a copy of the OSFMount program, start it running,
go to the File menu and navigate to your Downloads
folder. You select the Windows ISO.

The OSFMount program will show in its status window,
that the file is now mounted. Now, go to File Explorer,
open the new virtual DVD drive you see in there, and
double click the Setup.exe to start a Repair Install.
The Upgrade Advisor should grind for a few minutes,
then tell you it will Repair Install, keeping your
programs and keeping your user data. And the
install will then happen.

THis assumes that the Windows 7 with the black screen,
continues to run long enough for Setup.exe to do its job.
Once the grace period runs out, the "table manners" of
the OS will degrade - it can shut the machine down
no matter what you're doing, without using a
clean shutdown either. I've never tried to Repair Install
a "Not Genuine" OS before, so I don't know whether the
Setup.exe can override the half-hour timer. (The copy
of Windows 7 I run in the Not Genuine state, is an
Enterprise version, and it runs for half-an-hour
before it shuts down.)

*******

Enter the BIOS using F2.

Select the Drives entry.

Find the window with SATA 1,2,3,4, and ESATA.
You want (perhaps) SATA 1 and SATA 2 turned
on (HDD and optical drive), while SATA 3 (Win10)
remains unticked. That way, while the Repair
Install is happening, the Win10 disk will be
unaffected.

You've probably already set things up that way
anyway, and this is just a reminder. I think you
told me you were already running RAID ON and
SATA 1 and SATA 2 ticked.

Paul

In message , Paul
writes:
[]
Windows 7. Heidoc has Retail Windows 7.

https://www.heidoc.net/joomla/techno.../67-microsoft-
windows-iso-download-tool
[]
Select Windows 7, go through the selection process.

Then, use the "Copy link for 64 bit" on the right.

Paste the URL into your web browser, and download the file
from Microsoft. The URL should be a Microsoft URL.

*******

THere's only one problem. Windows 7 is nearing end of download life.

Heidoc can barely make URLS any more, and you can see why here.

https://www.wincert.net/forum/topic/...0-monthly-down
load-days-starting-october-1-experimental/

[Maybe _you_ can - it goes a bit over my head (-:!]

When I tested just now, the Heidoc tool had no URLs to offer.

When I look, and select "Windows 7", it comes up with a drop-down
heading "Select edition", which has only one entry in it: "Currently
unavailable". Is that what you mean?

If, however, I select "Window 7 (August 2018)", it lets me select
edition and language.

I already have a file I downloaded 2019-1-15, called
Win7_HomePrem_SP1_English_COEM_x32.iso, size 2,564,476,928 bytes (2.38
GB, 2,504,372 KB).

I have several separate questions:

Q1. Is that file I have likely to be the latest (7 Home Premium 32 bit,
which is what I have and would want) as of the date I downloaded it, or
will it date from when SP1 came out?

Q2. If I ever use it, will the system created then do (if I let it) a
mammoth download of all the upgrades since 2019-1-15 (or since SP1 came
out depending on the answer to Q1)?

Q3. I know there will be no new upgrades to W7 after sometime in
January. (Possibly except for corporate customers paying through the
nose for them.) But, as happened (is still?) with XP, do we believe the
update server will still interact with W7 systems that don't have
updates _prior_ to the cutoff date, and still supply those updates to
those systems?

Q4. Is the
7601.24214.180801-1700.win7sp1_ldr_escrow_CLIENT_HOMEPREMIUM_x86FRE_ en-us
..iso file that comes, as of now, from selecting the "Window 7 (August
2018)" button on Heidoc of any relevance to anything? It is
4,095,453,184 bytes (3.81 GB, 3,999,466 KB) - i. e. about 4G, whereas
the one I downloaded 2019-1-15 is about 2.5G - the difference seems a
lot more than 7 months' worth of updates, so I presume there is some
other difference (one is OEM or something?).

Q5. Would Heidoc be where I'd download a W10HP-32 .iso to play with to
get a "digital entitlement" to W10? If so, which one - there seem to be
23, or if I ignore the China, N version, and Education ones, and the
Enterprise one, there seem to be 6 to choose from, differing mainly by
date (from September 2017 up to May 2019. Would I just go for the
latest, or (I think you've mentioned recently) won't that fit on a
single-layer DVD - if so, which one will?

(Sorry, Q5 is really rather a lot of questions, isn't it.)
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

You can't abdicate and eat it - attributed to Wallis Simpson, in Radio Times
14-20 January 2012.